As I recall, they can't import them because they likely don't meet safety and emission standards in the US. After you factor in the cost of meeting those standards, plus tariffs, there's probably very little profit left in these trucks.
All of that would bump of the base price and potentially lose a budget minded market don't you think? But, I agree those are features that would attract a good percentage of buyers.
The Santa Cruz is a little better looking. This Montana is ugly
All of what? It would just be the midgate system which GM introduced over 20 years ago. At worst it would compete financially with the Santa Cruz. GM could even make the midgate optional then on higher trims. Imagine to if GM offered their multi-pro tailgate. Technology GM already has.
Correct me if I"m wrong, but you also mentioned being able to fold down the rear seat to make it part of the bed. Not sure if that's doable with a unibody construction.
That's how the midgate system worked and it would need to be on a unibody and/or suv body. On the Avalanche, you could remove the rear window and fold down the back seat so your bed would extend into the cab and give you two additional feet of bed space. You could also leave the rear window in place and just fold down the backseat giving you access into the bed. This was good for hauling things like 2.x4's or 8 foot long sheets of plywood. You could slide them into the cab, close the tailgate without removing the tonneau cover and they would be perfectly secured inside. With a truck that has a 4 foot bed, that would be a huge advantage. The Avalanche was essentially a Suburban with a pickup bed and the ability to remove the back window and fold down the seat. Just shrink that to Equinox size and we have a winner.
That makes perfect sense. You might consider a career at Ford! My brother's wife drove an Avalance. She loved it ... now I know why.
Problem is, every GM product I have had was an engineering and assembly mess.
